License plate holder



May 9, 1939.- c. TILTON 1 2,157,806

LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed Feb. 12, 1938 Patented May 9, 1-939 UNITED STATE S PATENT. OFFICE moans]; PLATE norm-m. Charles Tilton, Fort Madison, Iowa Application February re, 1938, Serial No.190,311

1 Claim.

This invention aims to provide a simple means whereby, without the use of tools, a license tag may be held on an automobile.

It is within the provinceof the disclosure to improve generally and. to enhance the utility of devices of that sort to which the invention appertains.

With the foregoing and other objects in'view which will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that a mechanic, working within the scope of what is claimed, may make such changes as his skill may suggest, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows in front elevation, a license tag held in place by the device-forming the subject matter of this application;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the structure shown in Figure l; c

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of 'the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view showing one of the anchors.

' Two anchors I, in the form of metal plates, are provided. The anchors are alike, and a description of one anchor will sufllce for both.

0 The anchor I includes a body 2 and a head 3 connected by a neck I. The inner edges of the head 3 form shoulders 5, and the inner edges of the body 2 form shoulders 6.

The numeral I0 designates a license tag having 35 elongated openings II. The numeral I2 marks a support, which may be any of the instrumentalities commonly employed on an automobile to hold a license tag. The support I2 has one or more elongated slots It, the slots I4 of the support reg- 40 istering with the slots or openings I I of the license tag Iii.

The head 3 of the body I is of unequal transverse -dimensions. The anchor I is turned until the longer transverse dimension of the head 3 is 45 parallel to the slots II and I4. The head 3 then is stuck through the slots II and II, and the anchor I is turned through an angle of ninety degrees, so that the head 3 stands crossways of the slot II in the tag III, as shown in Figure 1, the

50 body 2 standing cross-ways oi the slot I4 in the support I2, as shown in Figure 3. It will be observed that if some means is provided for tilting the anchor I, the shoulders 5 will bind against the tag Ill, the shoulders 6 binding against the sup- 55 port I2, and in that way, the license tag will be held in place. The means for tilting the anchor as aforesaid preferably comprises a retractile spring I, the ends of which are connected to rings 8 mounted in holes 9 in the ends of the anchors I. Figure 2 shows that the spring I will tilt the 5 anchors I and cause them to grip the license tag III to the support I2, as has been described hereinbefore.

The anchors I pinch and bite the support I2 and the tag III as rigid levers of the first order. 10 They have no resiliency, they depend for their action solely on the pull of the spring I, and they exert a lever-wise pinch, distinguished from a resilient grip. The shoulders 5 and 6 form biting edges 25 and 26 at one side of each anchor, and 15 biting edges 21 and 28 at the otherside thereof.

It may be that the edges 2I and 26 may become dulled or rounded oil and that the operator wishes to bring the edges 25 and 28 into play. This can be done because all portions of each anchor I lie 20 in the same plane, the anchors being reversible.

By "reversible, I mean that the anchors can be swung back 90 degrees from the position of Fig. 2, the entire device being rotated about the axis of the spring I, to bring the anchors to the front and into the position of Fig. 2, for assembly with the holder I2 and the tag III. The reversible feature is useful otherwise than to effect an interchange of the edges 25-28 and 26-21. For example, the operator need take no pains to mountthe 30 device in such a way that the-edges 25-28, or the edges 26-21, are selected, one pair in preference to the other, unless one pair of edges is dull. Although the biting edges are very useful, the

rigid, lever-like pinch, distinguished from a resillent clamping action, is considered of importance. Since the anchors I are rigid levers, they will stand any reasonable strain, and the pinch can be made as hard as desired, depending on the strength of the spring I. There is no danger of using a strong spring I, in the hope of getting a lever-like biting pinch and then failing to get that pinch, due to the resiliency of the anchors. Considering the manner in which the article operates, the proportioning of the length of the neck 4 01' the anchor is a matter to which heed should be given.

I claim:

In a device for connecting a tag to a support, straight, rigid anchors each having a reduced neck" defining spaced shoulders at the forward end of each anchor, the shoulders forming biting edges at each side of each anchor, and a straight retractile spring connected pivotally with the anchors at their rear ends, the open space between I the shoulders of each anchor being such. compared with the combined thicknesses oi the tag and the support, that the anchors will fulcrum intermediate their ends on the display device, swing in a plane substantially at right angles to the tag, stand at an acute angle to the tag and the support, under the action of the spring, and eiiect a pinching oi the tag and the support between certain 01 the biting edges of the shoulders of each anchor. the spring constituting the sole means for causing the anehorsto pinch the tag and the support, the anchors acting as rigid levers oi the first order, all portions or each anchor being disposed in the same plane, whereby the anchors may be reversed, thereby to render others 01 the biting edges available for use.

CHAR-LIB TILTON. 

